Storage Potential of Your Walls and Ceilings

The average size of a New York apartment has been shrinking in the 21st century, with budget-conscious tenants preferring savings and simplicity over square footage. Today the average one bedroom, 750 square foot apartment in Manhattan can easily cost $3,000+ a month, while its 550 square foot counterpart goes for a cool $2,300+.

Professionals residing in these micro spaces already have the challenge of giving away possessions that create clutter and make the space inefficient. Even when taking this measure, closets and cabinets fill up pretty quickly. Residents then find themselves in need of storage for daily essentials like cooking utensils, electronics, and cleaning supplies.

If there is no storage space left in closets or cabinets, where can you go to find extra space? The solution is to look up and unlock the storage potential of your walls and ceilings.

Table of Contents

The Kitchen

Clutter can accumulate quickly in your kitchen, and since cooking is central to everyday life, you need efficient space. Some solutions you can employ to optimize kitchen storage space are:

Wall Hooks – A wall hook rack can easily double as an extra shelf to hang pots and pans while providing an extra shelf to store key items like spices, dish towels, or whatever suits your habits. This bookshelf wall rack is one example of a way to get your wall to store items in your tiny kitchen.

Ceiling Rack – If your kitchen has a layout where this ceiling rack by VDOMUS can be installed, you can use the area above your head as a storage solution.

The Living Room

Cube Storage – This unequivocal favorite in storage solutions comes first on the list. Cube storage can be as tall as you like, giving you ample space to store all of your essentials. Everything can be tucked away cleanly in bins, while some cubes can be left bare to act as miniature bookshelves.

Floating Wall Shelves – These handy shelves attach to your walls and are a spin on the wall shelves in your kitchen. An interesting example is these natural wooden shelves from World Market.

The Bedroom

Armoire – It is very likely that your closet will not be big enough for your clothing and accessories. Finding a slim, space-conscious armoire like this one can ease the space strain in your bedroom and help organize your items.

Ceiling mounted shelf – When your walls and closets are stretched to the utmost capacity, remember the ceiling! This mounted shelf by Hyloft attaches to your ceiling, giving you added space to store essentials.

Unlock the Potential

With apartments renting at a premium, making the most of every square inch of your home is key to living without clutter and making life efficient. When traditional storage options are maxed out, look to your walls and ceilings to provide the extra room you need to keep all your necessary items organized and accessible.

Principal Broker of Elika Real Estate and Director of The National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents, Since 2013. Gea has been quoted in reputable industry sources New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Mansion Global and The Real Deal to name a few.

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The ELIKA insider is a one-stop-shop for insider news and advice on finding a New York City home to fixing it up, and fitting it out with style and know-how. Brought to you by Elika Real Estate, New York's leading buyer's brokerage.